World's Greatest Leaders

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In business, government, philanthropy and the arts, and all over the globe, these men and women are transforming the world and inspiring others to do the same. Read more about our fourth annual list here.

Shakira

Singer and UNICEF Ambassador Shakira attends the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland.

Ruben Sprich—Reuters

If you didn’t know that the multilingual singer was a force of nature in the philanthropic world, you’re a little late to the party. Shakira’s cause of choice: early-childhood development and education, particularly in her home nation of Colombia, where she launched the foundation Pies Descalzos (named after an early album, it translates as “Barefoot”) in 1997. She has also developed her public-policy chops as a founding member of the ALAS Foundation, spurring governmental action on early nutrition and schooling across Latin America. It’s not just an academic exercise: In 2016 the foundation’s schools fed and educated more than 6,000 children. Of course, it is performing that has given Shakira a uniquely powerful platform, with over 32 million followers on Instagram and 43 million on Twitter. Her 104 million fans on Facebook make her the most-followed female celebrity on the planet. But her real leadership comes in how she has leveraged those platforms on behalf of vulnerable kids.